Does anyone keep this hobby a secret?

[centralsweeper63]

Unless their mum had one.

 

[hygiene903]

I don't know. I'm 68 and am constantly finding out about vacuums I had no idea existed courtesy of this site. One of the glories of V-L !

I just retired and am pretty sure the majority of my co-workers, except for a couple of the other old OG gray beards, have never seen or even heard about 90% of what's in my collection.

I can relate to that! I've also learned a lot from this site over the years, from vacs I didn't know existed, to vacs I'd heard of but didn't know much about, and also some I knew quite a bit about but still learned more! And considering that my collection is almost all vintage machines, I'm sure many of the people I worked with over the years probably haven't seen or heard of many of mine either!
Congrats on your retirement! Enjoy! And by the way, with some of the things you had mentioned on other posts, including learning to drive in a 54 Plymouth, I thought you were maybe several years older than me, but after seeing in this post that you're 68 I realize that you're actually a year younger than me! Either way, we both grew up in a great generation!
Jeff

 

[centralsweeper63]

One of the last good generations.

 

[cheesewonton]

One of the last good generations.

I don't know. I feel like we left things a big mess for our grand children to discombobulate.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I suppose so.

 

[cheesewonton]

I can relate to that! I've also learned a lot from this site over the years, from vacs I didn't know existed, to vacs I'd heard of but didn't know much about, and also some I knew quite a bit about but still learned more! And considering that my collection is almost all vintage machines, I'm sure many of the people I worked with over the years probably haven't seen or heard of many of mine either!
Congrats on your retirement! Enjoy! And by the way, with some of the things you had mentioned on other posts, including learning to drive in a 54 Plymouth, I thought you were maybe several years older than me, but after seeing in this post that you're 68 I realize that you're actually a year younger than me! Either way, we both grew up in a great generation!
Jeff

I wanted to stay until I was 70 since I really enjoyed my work but after the election I knew things were going to get weird and not in a good way so after talking it over with my wife I dropped my retirement papers. I left the week that first Fork in the Road e-mail dropped. I made the right move. My co-workers and friends who are still there are hating life.

 

[centralsweeper63]

Good for you!

 

[dysonman1]

I have never kept my fascination with vacuum cleaner as a secret. Not as a child, not as a teenager, and certainly not as an adult. I talk about it. I tell people about it. You wouldn't believe the number of vacuum cleaners I have been given by simply talking about the fact that I collect vacuum cleaners. People find it fascinating. They always want to know "why vacuums". It's because the design was never finalized, so they're all different. Unlike the clothes dryer. From opening the closet doors of my mother's friends when we went visiting when I was a kid, and finding their vacuum and cleaning it for them to owning a vacuum cleaner retail business as well as curating the vacuum cleaner museum. I could never have done it if I had kept quiet about it.

 

[centralsweeper63]

If you are serious about getting lots of BIG achievements with vacuums you need to put yourself out there. Thought that isn't for everyone. Not by a long shot.

 

[SeboU1]

I have never kept my fascination with vacuum cleaner as a secret. Not as a child, not as a teenager, and certainly not as an adult. I talk about it. I tell people about it. You wouldn't believe the number of vacuum cleaners I have been given by simply talking about the fact that I collect vacuum cleaners. People find it fascinating. They always want to know "why vacuums". It's because the design was never finalized, so they're all different. Unlike the clothes dryer. From opening the closet doors of my mother's friends when we went visiting when I was a kid, and finding their vacuum and cleaning it for them to owning a vacuum cleaner retail business as well as curating the vacuum cleaner museum. I could never have done it if I had kept quiet about it.

I am much the same! My favorite part of collecting is experiencing all the different models, I could never choose one favorite. I also had to find the vacuum in every home I would visit as a child. I would never ask the person, but rather if I went to the bathroom or something I would quietly open closets. I always look into open janitors closets when I’m in commercial buildings. I was in the University library one day when the cleaning lady was running the Windsor sensor next to me. It took every internal restraint for me not to tell her that the wand was not in properly!

 

[niclonnic]

Being on the autism spectrum, I generally keep my vacuum cleaner fascination a secret. However, in childhood, I told teachers about it in elementary school. When I first did so in 3rd grade, it was a nice and cordial thing. However, during 5th grade in 2005, I was unusually sociable and went all-out on my vacuum obsession. There were some nice, female paraeducators I worked with in the special needs "Room 1." Once my work was done, I would talk to them, inquiring about what vacuum cleaner they had. The discussions prompted some of these ladies to go as far as to take pictures of their vacuums, print them out and bring them in to school for me to gawk at. A couple of them even brought in the manuals to their respective machines (I have a fascination with manuals as well). Here are the vacuums I recall some of these respective teachers owning:

• Hoover WindTunnel Bagless (Twin Chamber) and a Bissell ProHeat
• Kirby G4
• Kirby G5
• Hoover Decade Supreme
• Kenmore bagged (most likely clean-air)
• Dirt Devil FeatherLite Bagged (she later upgraded to a DD Vision Turbo and shared the unboxing and assembly photos with me on her digital camera)
• Central vacuum(s)
• Miele (she pronounced it MEE-lay)

Despite my almost bagless-only upbringing, it was very interesting to learn about these other vacuums, Kirby in particular. In addition, one kindergarten teacher owned a small, decorative vacuum sculpture. One of the said paras borrowed it from her for me to play with for a bit. Although I never brought up Fantom (it was relatively hard to find information about them during the pre-YouTube era) there were often times when I brought up Dyson, as that brand was relatively new and state-of-the-art. However, nobody bought one back then, as they were understandably too expensive.

The irony of all this? For sensory reasons, I didn't actually use a vacuum cleaner back then, as they were very loud.

In essence, my final year in elementary school became a playground (pun intended) for me to discuss vacuum cleaners. Sadly, after I "graduated" 5th grade, my vacuum fascination waned. I was set to enter middle school, where my interests changed significantly. My family kept using the same Bissell CleanView that we bought back in early '04. Then, in late '07, the Dyson DC07 Animal entered our house, reviving my vacuum obsession, which in turn led me to start actually using one of these machines. Although I didn't go crazy with them nearly as much as I did back in 5th grade, I discussed them with one para. And, once I entered high school, my vacuum discussions pretty much stopped.

@SeboU1 I ditto what you said about finding the vacuum in homes I've visited as a kid. However, often times it's hard for me to see what vacuums get used in commercial buildings.

Nowadays, in adulthood, I keep secret about my vacuum fascination, especially since I work in a restaurant. Plus, since people tend to buy Shark and other cheap bagless vacuum brands in today's day and age, I don't go crazy about vacuums anymore. But I'll still talk about them on occasion here on VacuumLand.

 

[SeboU1]

Being on the autism spectrum, I generally keep my vacuum cleaner fascination a secret. However, in childhood, I told teachers about it in elementary school. When I first did so in 3rd grade, it was a nice and cordial thing. However, during 5th grade in 2005, I was unusually sociable and went all-out on my vacuum obsession. There were some nice, female paraeducators I worked with in the special needs "Room 1." Once my work was done, I would talk to them, inquiring about what vacuum cleaner they had. The discussions prompted some of these ladies to go as far as to take pictures of their vacuums, print them out and bring them in to school for me to gawk at. A couple of them even brought in the manuals to their respective machines (I have a fascination with manuals as well). Here are the vacuums I recall some of these respective teachers owning:

• Hoover WindTunnel Bagless (Twin Chamber) and a Bissell ProHeat
• Kirby G4
• Kirby G5
• Hoover Decade Supreme
• Kenmore bagged (most likely clean-air)
• Dirt Devil FeatherLite Bagged (she later upgraded to a DD Vision Turbo and shared the unboxing and assembly photos with me on her digital camera)
• Central vacuum(s)
• Miele (she pronounced it MEE-lay)

Despite my almost bagless-only upbringing, it was very interesting to learn about these other vacuums, Kirby in particular. In addition, one kindergarten teacher owned a small, decorative vacuum sculpture. One of the said paras borrowed it from her for me to play with for a bit. Although I never brought up Fantom (it was relatively hard to find information about them during the pre-YouTube era) there were often times when I brought up Dyson, as that brand was relatively new and state-of-the-art. However, nobody bought one back then, as they were understandably too expensive.

The irony of all this? For sensory reasons, I didn't actually use a vacuum cleaner back then, as they were very loud.

In essence, my final year in elementary school became a playground (pun intended) for me to discuss vacuum cleaners. Sadly, after I "graduated" 5th grade, my vacuum fascination waned. I was set to enter middle school, where my interests changed significantly. My family kept using the same Bissell CleanView that we bought back in early '04. Then, in late '07, the Dyson DC07 Animal entered our house, reviving my vacuum obsession, which in turn led me to start actually using one of these machines. Although I didn't go crazy with them nearly as much as I did back in 5th grade, I discussed them with one para. And, once I entered high school, my vacuum discussions pretty much stopped.

@SeboU1 I ditto what you said about finding the vacuum in homes I've visited as a kid. However, often times it's hard for me to see what vacuums get used in commercial buildings.

Nowadays, in adulthood, I keep secret about my vacuum fascination, especially since I work in a restaurant. Plus, since people tend to buy Shark and other cheap bagless vacuum brands in today's day and age, I don't go crazy about vacuums anymore. But I'll still talk about them on occasion here on VacuumLand.

Sounds like you had some wonderful teachers and paraeducators! We have friend that is an aide (paraeducator) and I know she would definitely bring photos of her vacuum in for her students. I had a nasty kindergarten teacher, so she might have induced some trauma for me not to reveal anything about myself. Sounds like your teachers had some nice machines! I definitely feel like there were two teachers in my school that probably had an old Electrolux. There were probably several teachers that had a Riccar.
Our only nearby vacuum store was only a Riccar dealer, so many people or commercial buildings used Riccar. I might have asked my PCP what vacuum they had when I was young, as I asked him who painted the walls.
I don’t usually talk to regular consumers about vacuums, like you said they usually think Shark or Dyson is gold. I do vacuum occasionally with the cheap Hoover bagless in the store that I work at part time. The co-worker that I clean with might have an idea that I know vacuums well. He will usually insist that I vacuum the store when he breaks or clogs the vacuum, he knows I’ll fix it.
I probably would discuss my vacuum thing with my prospective students on the day we go over the syllabus. I think it’s nice to get to know your instructor a bit at the start of semester.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I always find vacuums in nooks too, similar to what SeboU1 talked about.

I was lucky with teachers, I have had multiple teachers give me their vacuums to fix or have, and even the principal. I can even vacuum at school during lunch.

 

[hygiene903]

I wanted to stay until I was 70 since I really enjoyed my work but after the election I knew things were going to get weird and not in a good way so after talking it over with my wife I dropped my retirement papers. I left the week that first Fork in the Road e-mail dropped. I made the right move. My co-workers and friends who are still there are hating life.

I also had intended to work longer than I did but left my job due to medical problems about 3 months before my 64th birthday. My wife took me to the ER with my right leg extremely swollen and painful and what looked like large blisters on my right foot. Turned out to be cellulitis that had gotten way out of hand, complicated by gangrene and sepsis, so at the onset I could have lost my foot, my leg, or my life. During the 16 days I was in the hospitals I had 4 surgeries and was put on IV antibiotics, then released to a nursing home for rehab, where the IV antibiotics and dressing changes were continued. I was in the nursing home a day short of 2 months and the IV meds were stopped about 2 weeks before I was released, just 2 days before my 64th birthday. The fact that this was while Covid was going on didn't help either, as I wasn't allowed visitors in the hospital or the first month in the nursing home, although I was eventually allowed window visits. At the start of the ordeal I was on short term disability through the insurance at work, then long term disability, then Social Security disability, which automatically converted to Social Security Retirement when I reached full retirement age. So even though I haven't worked in 5 1/2 years, I've technically only been retired for a little over 3 years. But yes, if it hadn't been for the ordeal with my leg, I probably would have worked about 3 or 4 more years.
Jeff

 

[centralsweeper63]

That is a shame, though good to hear you are better now!

 

[hygiene903]

I am much the same! My favorite part of collecting is experiencing all the different models, I could never choose one favorite. I also had to find the vacuum in every home I would visit as a child. I would never ask the person, but rather if I went to the bathroom or something I would quietly open closets. I always look into open janitors closets when I’m in commercial buildings. I was in the University library one day when the cleaning lady was running the Windsor sensor next to me. It took every internal restraint for me not to tell her that the wand was not in properly!

I can relate to what you and Tom both have said here! The differences in the makes and models, and how they've evolved over the years is what mostly perks my interest, along with the memories! I was also one who knew at an early age what vacuums family members and friends had, and where they kept them! And that is a big part of what makes up my collection, vacuums of the same make and model as those memories. And in a few cases, the actual vacuum that belonged to a family member, including Grandma's model 82 Hoover Constellation, Aunt Lu's Westinghouse SC-1 Canister, and several that my Mom had, including the 966 Electro-Hygiene tank that I bought for her while I was selling them.
Jeff

 

[hygiene903]

That is a shame, though good to hear you are better now!

Healing was a slow process, as it took about 1 1/2 years for the surgical wounds to heal. But I am thankful to still be here, still have both legs & feet, and still able to get around.
Jeff

 

[centralsweeper63]

Great to hear that you are better now!

 

[cheesewonton]

I also had intended to work longer than I did but left my job due to medical problems about 3 months before my 64th birthday. My wife took me to the ER with my right leg extremely swollen and painful and what looked like large blisters on my right foot. Turned out to be cellulitis that had gotten way out of hand, complicated by gangrene and sepsis, so at the onset I could have lost my foot, my leg, or my life. During the 16 days I was in the hospitals I had 4 surgeries and was put on IV antibiotics, then released to a nursing home for rehab, where the IV antibiotics and dressing changes were continued. I was in the nursing home a day short of 2 months and the IV meds were stopped about 2 weeks before I was released, just 2 days before my 64th birthday. The fact that this was while Covid was going on didn't help either, as I wasn't allowed visitors in the hospital or the first month in the nursing home, although I was eventually allowed window visits. At the start of the ordeal I was on short term disability through the insurance at work, then long term disability, then Social Security disability, which automatically converted to Social Security Retirement when I reached full retirement age. So even though I haven't worked in 5 1/2 years, I've technically only been retired for a little over 3 years. But yes, if it hadn't been for the ordeal with my leg, I probably would have worked about 3 or 4 more years.
Jeff

Geez Louise !!! I have had cellulitis but caught it early enough to treat with antibiotics. Being in a hospital or convalescent home during Covid was horrible. Glad you are ok now. Man that must have been scary. O_O

 

[centralsweeper63]

It is a scary thing cellulitis.